Role Model

Game Changers #5

by Rachel Reid, Cooper North (Narrator)

Troy Barrett has been freshly traded to Ottawa after calling out Dallas Kent during a team practice. He wants to be a better person, and the weird, scrappy energy of the struggling Ottawa team seems like the place to...well. It seems like the only place that will have Troy right now.

Fortunately the Ottawa team includes Ilya Rozanov and Wyatt Hayes, and also includes an adorable social media manager, Harris Drover. Harris is the opposite of Troy in every way: friendly, cheerful, chatty, and goofy with a booming voice, a startlingly loud laugh, and Pride pins all over his denim jacket. Definitely not the sort of person Troy would normally associate with, and yet…

Genres: Romance, Sports, M M Romance, LGBT, Hockey, Sports Romance, Contemporary

12 pages, Audible Audio

First published August 10, 2021

About the author

Rachel Reid is the pen name of Rachelle Goguen. She chose it because it is much easier to say, spell and remember than Rachelle Goguen!

Rachel writes cute, romantic smut, mostly about hockey players. Her Game Changers m/m hockey romance series is available from Carina Press.

Rachel/Rachelle lives in Nova Scotia, Canada. She has always lived there, and it's looking like she probably always will. She has two boring degrees and two interesting kids.

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 4 out of 5]

2026 review update

On re-read, Role Model's rating still stands. For sure my favorite non-Shane/Ilya book in the series. The audio for this book is excellent also. Loooove me a redemption story, and Troy really turns things around.

Read on for my 2021 review below

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*4.25 stars*

For SURE my favorite in the series after Heated Rivalry (nothing holds a candle to that banger of a story), Role Model was a stand-out addition to the amazing Game Changers series.

I'm so incredibly addicted to this series, it isn't even funny. Rachel Reid continues to impress with interesting pairings and storylines, and though allll the readers are starry-eyed over Ilya and Shane (I MEAN, I MEAN), Troy and Harris were an adorable pairing.

Readers, I know you love a sunshine and grump pairing (*raises hand*), and we really get that here. Troy has a past and has made some epically bad decisions in his career, but I liked how the eternal optimist, Harris, made him come out of his shell. They were just so good together, and I liked their opposites-attract chemistry.

Of course, Rachel Reid gave the readers what they wanted and we get a lot of Ilya (a more mature Ilya, I might add) and a ton of previous cast members, which kept me smiling from ear-to-ear. I didn't want to put this book down, and I shamelessly ignored my family all day to read. It was incredibly readable and well-paced.

The story could have used a few loose ends tied up, IMO. I wanted more closure on the ex-boyfriend situation, and I think the relationship moved a little quickly once it started rolling, but, overall, this book was like a warm hug. Or like a warm glass of hot cider (wink, wink). I couldn't get enough, and I didn't want it to end.

Rachel Reid, please never stop writing these adorable, sexy hockey players. I'd read this series *forever*.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

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[Marianna Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

TROY AND HARRIS MY SWEET BABY ANGELSSS!!!! God I loved them and this book with my whole entire heart!! Protect them at all costs! This was grumpy sunshine perfection! And the ILYA
CRUMBS IN THIS >>>>>>>>> ugh I never want to leave this world these characters are everything to me 😭😭😭

[Snjez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is unbelievably sweet and romantic. Not what I expected at all.

I loved Troy and Harris so much, they are such great characters. I think I need a Harris in my life. Troy calls him 'a walking ray of sunshine', and that couldn't be more true. The way their relationship developed and the pacing were just perfect.

The side characters are pretty amazing, too. I loved that we got to see Ilya a lot in this one, as well as some other characters from previous books. But I also have to mention Troy's new teammates, their coach, Harris's family and Troy's mum, because all of them were just as great.

This was a true comfort read that made me smile the whole way through. I kept going back and re-reading parts of dialogues, which is something I did while reading Heated Rivalry, too.

*********
Re-read 8/2021
Re-read 4/2022
Re-read 11/2024

[Ali L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you have to suffer the awkward discomfort of removing yourself from a toxic situation so you can live in a hotel and meet a man who deep throats cake pops. You don’t have to enjoy it — readjusting is always hard, and no one will hold your aloofness against you — but you do have to go to cookouts and look at Christmas lights and pet dogs. It’s not easy, but if you’re lucky, your team captain will inadvertently overshare on a walk and then scurry away like a Russian squirrel. Metaphorical heartbreak meets literal heartbreak here, but they’re both fine, actually, because apparently Ottawa is the most anti-toxic city in the world, and that’s the sort of fantasy I want in my romance novels. Shoutout to Ursula the cat, a relatable queen.

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Role Model is book five in the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid. This is only the second book I’ve read in this series. I read book two and now this one. I intend to read the other books because I loved both the ones I read so much but haven’t had time yet. Reading series out of order seems to be a thing for me, even though it’s unintentional.



Troy Barrett grew up with a toxic father. After going into professional hockey, he seemed to gravitate towards the same type of men. All while keeping a huge secret about his sexuality. When he publicly accused his friend and teammate of the worst kind of behavior, he was immediately traded to the worst team in the NHL, the Ottawa Centaurs.



Troy started his time with the Centaurs in much the same way, angry and distant. He didn’t plan on staying long. But little by little, with the help of his team mates and one very cute social media director, Troy found himself actually smiling, playing better, and re-evaluating everything.



Harris Drover grew up on the family apple farm just outside of Ottawa. His family still runs the farm which also produces a very popular hard apple cider. Harris loves his job with the Centaurs taking care of their social media. He’s been a huge fan since he was a child. The day Troy came to join the team, Harris saw the hard shell on the outside but could also see the pain and conflict on the inside. It was obvious to him that there was so much more than Troy wanted anyone to know about lurking behind his eyes. Harris was attracted to him immediately. How could he not be?! But he was also determined to do whatever it took to try to ease his pain, to make him smile the beautiful smile he got a glimpse of.



Harris and Troy become friends. Troy finds himself seeking Harris out more and more. And he begins to dream of a life like Harris’s, where he could live and love freely, out in the open. No more hiding. And he starts to think about Harris as much more than just a friend.

As these two navigate the changes in their relationship, Troy is forced to struggle with his beliefs on whether to continue to take a stand against his former friend, or keep quiet as the upper powers want him to. All the while, he starts to feel like he might actually belong in Ottawa with the Centaurs. They are truly becoming a team, they support each other. And of course, there is Harris, right by his side the entire time.



I loved this book. First, we get plenty of Ilya Rozanov from book two since he is the team captain of the Centaurs. I love that guy. Troy and Harris were so adorable together. I absolutely adored watching Troy’s transformation from a closed off, angry loner of a man, to this smiling, happy team player who was willing to stand up for what he believed was right.

This book was sweet, sexy as heck, and absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to go back and read the books I missed. I also am beside myself with excitement for book six, The Long Game, which is going to be a continuation of Ilya and Shane’s story. I’m swooning already and Rachel hasn’t even finished writing the book yet.

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

[Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook - 5 stars Gaahh! Thank book gods narrator changed.

3.5 stars

I ended up liking it a lot but wasn't so much gaga over it. It was too sweet like book 1. I love me some sugar but this was too much.

Harris was a sweetheart, too much sunshine and Troy was also a sweetheart even with his grumpiness. I kept seeing SpongeBob and Squidward in my head. 🤭🙈



Their relationship was okay and it happened gradually. I liked the way it developed. They got chemistry it kept me going. I was smiling every time we got Harris on page. What a ray of sunshine. His positivity radiated off page and he pulled me in. I loved his family too.



I liked the background story about sexual assault and I loved that it wasn't all rainbows, because what happens is that victims are rarely believed, the management and everyone else will always question the victim, it happens and I am glad it wasn't sugarcoated and all rosy. It is sad reality.



Now Ilya, I love this Russian so much, buuuut! yes there is a but.. I feel like Rachel was doing fan service, bringing in a fan favorite to somehow carry the book. Let's face it, he was present in almost all the chapter to a point I was like is this Ilya's book? One biggest pet peeve is characters guiding the other characters towards their love. Why the fuck was Ilya guiding Troy towards Harris. Geez how did you know? I still love Ilya but his omnipresence got to me.



Though a little bit rushed, their relationship was believable. I ended up enjoying their grumpy and sunshine moments.



Overall, I liked it and it was another solid addition to the series.

[EmmaSkies]

Just finished this in one sitting. It’s 4:18am. I cried like 8 separate times at this book, what the hell

[nark · Rating 5 out of 5]

me giving this 5 stars?😳 no one is more surprised than me.

i really loved this! Harris and Troy were just wonderful characters. their grumpy/sunshine relationship was SO sweet.
the ending was truly beautiful & made me tear up multiple times from happiness.

i absolutely adored Troy. i loved how he stood up for what was right. his redemption arc was so well done!

(also Ilya made this book even better)

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book accomplished some things that I usually don’t come across in these types of books: being a trope heavy book that didn’t feel all that trope heavy! But more importantly... it got me invested in sports. Wow, good job book! I think a bit of an issue for me was how Troy starts out in an unsympathetic situation (being best friends with a piece of shit for years? A little suspicious), and doesn’t really dig himself out of it until way late in the novel. I guess these things take time, but that doesn't exactly mean it's easier to read. Though it was funny how he always came across as blunt to the point of rudeness, only to then be confused when people call him out on it. He's just like me for real. Hey, awkward representation is important too! Otherwise, I’m understanding and sympathetic to Troy's plight in the sense that if someone has been a dick for so long, it’s kind of hard to... un-dick yourself... you know what I mean. How do you change when people have seen you as being a certain way for the longest time?

I do wish the banter between the two leads was a little more charming and witty and less, for lack of a better word, boring. Every conversation they have for a good chunk of the novel followed the same pattern and after a while it became a little too routine. Like these dudes exhausted their limited dialogue or something. I mean, yes, Troy is supposed to be the hottest dude around, but that doesn't account for all that much on a page. Use your words, this is a book! Sorry, but I'm going to need more of a character motivation for Harris being into him than, “I see something in him.” Yeah? Well, what exactly do you see in him, USE YOUR WORDS! This is a book! Nah, you know what it is? I'm thinking that he's thinking that he’s just hot. And if that's the case, then just say that, it's okay to just say that. Also, they both kind of felt like they belonged in different books, but that's not a complaint because I think that’s one of the reasons why I found their dynamic to work in the end. Otherwise it'd probably be way too cookie-cutter for my taste. Anyway, I think I did like this overall. I mean, it’s a book about redemption and not being defined by your past. What's not to like? Then again, you can’t really go wrong with that premise.

Side note: I usually don’t specify my ratings on these reviews… but I’d probably say 3.5?

Side to the side note: Troy's main in Mario Kart is Mario!? That’s pretty fucking weird dude.

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio - 5 Stars
Story - 5 Stars!!

OMFG!! Swooooonnnnn!!!

[lakshmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.65✨

…I LOVED THIS. SO MUCH. SOOOO MUCH.

I can definitely see why everyone thinks this is the next best to heated rivalry. It’s so much fun and funny and wholesome.

For starters, we have Troy who has recently been traded to Ottawa where he has to get adjusted to his new team mates, who thinks he is a dick by association to his previous team. And then we meet Harris the teams social media manager and just the most adorable person on the fucking planet.

“There was a loud crash behind them, which broke them apart.
“What the hell?” Troy asked.
“Uncle Elroy,” Harris said, dipping his head for another kiss.
Troy sat up, nearly knocking Harris to the floor. “Fuck off. It’s not a fucking ghost. What was it really?”
Harris glanced behind his shoulder and spotted the culprit on top of his dresser. “Ursula.”
“Who’s Ursula? The ghost of your great-grandmother?”

Troy was just everything😭 I haven’t read the previous books - or I don’t remember if I’ve read it since I can’t ever keep up with my reviews - so I don’t exactly know Troy from an “asshole” POV. But, from many moments in this book we come to know that Troy was more of a homophobic, bully in the previous books and his transformation here was phenomenal. We see him struggling to fit in and come to terms with being in a team that’s accepting and supportive and basically not toxic. He changes from the awkward and shy man to an awkward and shy man who smiles and speaks.

Harris was just a ball of sunshine and rainbows. He reminded me so much of a hyper puppy and it’s the cutest thing. I loved seeing how supportive he was and how he helped Troy adjust to his new life. He knew exactly what Troy needed and he remained patient the entire time and I loved it so much.

“You worked hard on it, though. You were up all night.”
“Not all night.”
“I woke up a million times last night, and every time you weren’t in bed.”

Their relationship was so perfect. Like I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed reading about their development and banter. Troy coming out to the team was a moment that even I was proud of. I felt like such a proud mom🥲. He was very calm about his sexuality and I’m so happy to see that he made a big deal out of it in a more positive sense.

“Just one thing,” Troy said. His voice was surprisingly steady. “I’m dating Harris. We’re together. I’m gay.”

Next up. ILYA. My man was fucking spectacular in this book. I adored his relation with Troy and how he was completely chill and effortlessly brought him into the circle like he belonged. Their friendship was so meaningful in this book and it was something I had to mention.

✨“Welcome to Ottawa. I hope you like boring museums.”

✨“Was that your first gay bar?”
“Yeah, it was.”
Ilya burst out laughing. “Incredible.”
Troy shook his head, but the absurdity of the whole night hit him all at once, and he started laughing too.
“What did you think?” Ilya asked.
“It had more NHL players than I was expecting.”
Ilya’s laugh was a high, delirious-sounding giggle that only made Troy laugh harder.”

Overall: read it.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a gal who LOVES a little teeeeeeny weeeny smol bit of swearing in her life...


I absolutely FUCKING LOVE it when MC's are being all cute, banter-y and flirty and they tell eachother to 'fuck off' or 'get fucked' in a playful way.
THAT SHIT IS JUST DELICIOUS to me.
That is my ultimate love language.
OOOOOFT.




Book 5 was a win!!

I often think people are quick to use the term 'grumpy - sunshine' and quite often, I don't really see those vibes.
I need the grumpy to be an actual GRUMP (or give off severe grump vibes for longer than 1 interaction), and not just the sunshine to be sunshining...

TROY IS A FUCKING GRUMP.
He is literally ashamed of the person he was (so he should be) and literally worked on himself over the course of this book.
He really gets his redemption arc for his homophobic, poor ass behaviour that stemmed from his other team/friend group of homophobic slur-using asshats.
I loved the pacing, because Troy is strange and stand offish to everyone including baby boy Harris for quite alot of the build up during this book, which was enjoyable.
BECAUSE YOU KNEW HIS DUMB ASS WAS GONNA FALL SO HARD IN LOVE 💖

Harris is perfection personified ☀️☀️☀️
Loved by all, loves a chat, friends with everybody, social butterfly award of the year would be him every time, close with his family, loves his hockey, out and proud.
UGH.
He is perfect. They were perfect together.
This was a great strong book 5 in the series.


REALISTICALLY, THERE IS A TEAM DOG. AND ILYA IS OBSESSED WITH IT.
AND TROY IS ALL "oh I'm not really an animal guy" BUT STEALS LITTLE INTERACTIONS WHEN HE CAN WITH THIS FUCKING DOG.
I CAN'T 💀💀💀
SAY-FUCKING-LESS

5 STARS FOR ANY BOOKS WITH DOGS. 🐕
(and with Ilya Cameos, I'm easy af to please, I reeeeeally love dogs hahaha)

[Laura Greenhalgh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love love loved this series, I have already read The Long Game so this is the last book in the Game Changers series for me and I’m so sad to be leaving this world 😭 these characters all feel so real and I have enjoyed every single book in this series!! Troy & Harrison were adorable and Troy needs to be protected at all costs 😭🥹

[Drusilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional rollercoaster ride that was absolutely worth it. Oh, I shed so many tears for Troy. I didn't think that would happen, as he wasn't exactly a nice character in the previous books.
I was totally invested and grinned like an idiot at every little bit of progress he made.
And when you add Harris and his lightheartedness to the mix, it was a perfectly harmonious book. The best in the series so far.
And of course, Ilya, OMG, I don't know how I'm going to survive the next book with all the expectations I've built up now.
And I hope to see Troy and Harris again, they're so cute and oh... I'm just going to daydream a little more...

He knew Harris probably didn’t actually smell like apples, but he couldn’t get the idea out of his head. He swore he smelled apples whenever he was close to the man. 🥰🍎🥰

“Why is there Darth Vader? What does he have to do with Christmas?”
“His lightsaber is candy cane striped. See?”
“Yeah, but...”
“Don’t question someone’s Christmas vision. Just enjoy it.”
Troy frowned at the allegedly festive Darth Vader. Troy wasn’t a nerd or anything, but he knew enough about Star Wars to say, with authority, that Darth Vader was not an appropriate Christmas decoration.
“He blew up a planet,” Troy argued.
“Yeah, but he felt bad about it after. Eventually.” 🤣😂🤣

Troy dived in again, kissing him more slowly this time, as if savoring the taste. Harris was in heaven. If he could just stay here, exploring the slick velvety heat of Troy’s mouth with his solid body pressing against him, he’d be happy for the rest of his life. ❥♥️❥

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

No guys, this was CUUUUUTE! The redemption arc was arcing. 🥹 Troy was repenting of his past misdeeds, Harris was being unintentionally sexy with cake pops, and Ilya was once again being the NHL’s official coming out guru. I cannot wait to see this relationship play out in the show!!
Role Model felt softer than any of the previous books—very low drama as far as the main couple went. Everyone was communicating and cutting out toxic influences and it was just very nice. I still have one more to go, but this is definitely my favorite non-Hollanov book in the series 🩷

Pre Read:
I’m ready for Troy’s redemption arc 💅 And Ilya terrorizing the entire league of course 🤭

[Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not EVEN going to perpetrate. I'm a smitten kitten when it comes to this series, so I may not be the most objective when it comes to it. I find even the ones that aren't as strong still fall in the comfort read category due to this Game Changer world that keeps hearts consistently in my eyes. Honestly, I barely read let alone review anymore mostly because almost everything I pick up I'm bored by or a I feel like I've read before but Role Model made me want to read again. For the first time in a loooooooonnnnnnnggggg time I wanted to be with Troy and Harris more than I wanted to binge watch whatever, so thank you Rachel Reid and Carina Press.

The reason I enjoyed this read so much was these characters. I'm a character person and we have two strong characters in Troy and Harris plus the ringer-Chiron. HAHA! I bet you thought I was going to say Ilya. To be fair, Ilya and Chiron do have some adorable moments together. Plus, Reid always does a great job sprinkling in the team dynamics that never fail to bring the levity and are what I crave from sports romance. But that last game scene will stick with my squishy marshmallow heart for some time to come. ❤️🏳️‍🌈🏒

I love stories of redemption and Troy Barrett needs to be redeemed like nobody's business. Because J.E.R.K. Don't get me wrong, I sympathize with his trying to mask his sexuality behind an aggressive, intimidating, bullying mask but just being sorry about his behaviors doesn't absolve him of the hurt he caused. The great thing about this story is Troy realizes this but not fully until he begins spending time with a literal chirpy, out and proud, ray of sunshine in Harris. This, of course, checks off another thing I love in my romances: protagonists being good for each other.

Harris is happiest when everyone is happy. He would rather see the good in people than the bad. He enjoys or tries his damndest to enjoy every minute of his life. He makes lemonade out of ALL the citrus fruits and that sort of extroverted optimism is infectious and even a little tractor beamish for some. Troy finds himself in Harris' company sometimes not even knowing how he got there until he decides he likes being there and begins finding reasons to do so.

He just has to decide he's comfortable there which is a bigger ask. There are some communication issues but they made sense to me when paired with Troy's perspective and past, plus the payoff is so worth it because once Troy comes into his own he's SPLENDID! He has that dry sense of humor that makes me bark with laughter. As a matter of fact, I have a feeling if he put his mind to it he could give Ilya a run for his money in the one-liner department.

As you might have guessed, Role Model is more of a slow burn which worked for me given the closetedness and Troy's general self-image but there is one tongue-slap-your-brains-out sex scene coupled with nuclear levels of UST and a heaping dose of relationship development making for a winning recipe for me.

So if you enjoy opposites attract romances that are hockey forward with an adorable puppy Role Model is another winner in the Game Changer series that you could conceivably read as a standalone but why would you want to do that?



An ARC was provided by Carina Press in exchange for an honest review.

[MarianR · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 ⭐
Ilya and Shane WHO?
all Ilya and Shane fans:


I'M KIDDING! Ilya and shane forever number 1. No one compares to my babies but damn this was good. I had fun, I laughed, I melted. I couldn't stop smiling at how adorable these guys are.

Troy: I’m a wreck right now.
Harris: Wanna drive around and look at Christmas lights?

Harris is a sunny person. Troy is grumpy. Harris is expressive, friendly. Troy just wants to play hockey. When they start spending time together, Troy can't resist Harris's scandalous laugh. And he starts wanting to spend time with him. The friendship between them is adorable. The steamy scenes are great. They were falling and I was with them. Harris's family is adorable. The team! The best team Troy could have been on. That Ilya is there is a plus. Speaking of my baby, his appearance in the book is GREAT and I loved every second of it. Ilya is amazing. 🤩🤩 Also i really liked seeing more about Troy's teammates and their lives.
I liked how Rachel told us about fans and team members who would rather ignore horrible actions than believe the truth. But I am not surprised that it is true. The prestige and reputation of the teams makes them want to bury the truth at all costs. And the victims go unnoticed. Ahg.
Troy's development from the beginning, being serious, to the end, joking and smiling is incredible. 💛

But even though I enjoyed it, I have a few niggles. It may include a little spoiler but not too much.
The plane thing. I didn't really see it coming, but after it happened the guys carry on that fear and anxiety of flying again and well, why not go to therapy? what happened was horrible and I feel that if you are going to put this, the consequences and solutions must be in accordance with what happened. but I liked that Harris helped the team 💛
Troy leaving and returning with Harris bothered me a bit, it is understandable because what he lives is not easy for him but sometimes I wanted to shake him, I am not going to lie😂 And I'm greedy, but I would have liked to see a little more of Harris's dimensions. I love that he's happy, but I must be a masochist too because I wanted to see a more vulnerable side or him being upset, idk. *ignore me*
Anyway, I loved it, I enjoyed it a lot, I'm sure you will love it if you read it (I hope so). Definitely a good book to have a GREAT time. ❤️
I highly recommend it! 🤩❤️🙈

[Cadiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooooo, if bad boy redemption arcs with a side-order of needing to find self-forgiveness are your thing, this book is gonna hit that perfectly.

Troy Barrett hasn't been a good boy, in fact, he's been an absolute wanker at times (he's a secondary, small part character in Eric's book Common Goal and as we meet him, he's been transferred to Ottawa after a major bust up with his former best friend the sleazy as f*ck Dallas Kent.

But, as is often the case with guys like this, his outward homophobia and running with the crowd hides not only a secret about his sexual identity, but also a powerful need to feel like he belongs.

His mum is awesome, his dad is everything wrong about alpha male parenting, a wannabe ice hockey player who never made it big, a bigot and a bully, Troy's grown up under his overbearing presence for most of his life.

This is a really simple plot in essence, but Rachel spins it into a deeply expansive and complex narrative which takes in more than just Troy's need to better himself.

It throws in interference at the top level when Troy continues with his campaign to support the anonymous but not silent victims of his former best friend Kent and it's wrapped inside a plot of self-discovery, of healing, of finding out that your team having your back and being genuinely supportive is priceless.

And it's about love. Not only Troy learning to love who he is and where his career has taken him, but also his love for Harris, who is just an awesomely crafted character.

Add in the absolute sarcastic and ever brilliant Ilya Rozanov (and I CANNOT wait for book six and finally see the world discover him and Shane Hollander's near decade long relationship!) and a ridiculously cute dog called Chiron and this book is just everything I want in a sports romance.

#ARC kindly received from the publishers Carina Press via NetGalley in return for an honest and unbiased review

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tears caught me by surprise. Dammit Rachel.

The Game Changer series by Rachel Reid has long solidified itself as one of my favorites.
Ab-rific covers aside, these books pack so much substance, and Role Model was no exception.

We've caught a glimpse of Troy before in previous books, and his reputation wasn't the best but one could quickly tell there was more to him than met the eye.

We officially meet Troy during a major low moment for him. He's been dumped by his secret boyfriend for another man, one who is Out, and got into a fight with his best friend Dallas Kent, which not only resulted in the end of the friendship but in Troy losing his position of a great team and being traded to a scrappy one.

To make it worse, his reputation has been strongly linked to his ex-friend Dallas, an all around terrible human, and his chances of making connections with his new teammates are extremely low.

Enter Harris. As Grumpy meets Sunshine, we get to watch Troy break out of his shell, overcome some of his self-imposed mental blocks, in truly excellent slow burn fashion.

I love how Reid d0esn't shy away from heavier real world issues, and it's so refreshing to see it, especially in Hockey romances.

I'm so excited to see where this series go next, and if you need me I'll be counting down the days until "The Long Game."

[aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

OMG I FUCKING LOVED IT, especially my little apple farmer Harris.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

[Preeti · Rating 5 out of 5]

5" I just met the best non-player MC of this series "💫 

This was not the most awaited book of the year for me. Not even the most awaited book of the second half of the year, maybe because I was disappointed with the last few releases of this series. So, it shockingly surprised me that I got hooked to this book as soon as I started reading it. I just couldn't stop myself.
I love.. love this Grumpy/sunshine romance with a great redemption arc and an awesome coming out story.

 Summary-

If you have read 'Tough guy', you remember Troy Barrett. He was one of the shit-talking, homophobic who was shitty by association as he was Kent Dallas's best friend, in Ryan's Toronto team. 

Surprise! Surprise! In reality, he is a closeted gay player who comes from a troubled family and hides his anxiety and sexuality, behind this homophobic, nasty facade. After a terrible encounter with his teammate/best friend, Kent Dallas gets him swapped to the Ottawa team. 
This encounter added fuel to his already terrible reputation and made him pretty unpopular among other team members, media, and fans. Then he meets the new team's social media manager,
Harris who wants to redo this image.

Characterisation-
We all agree that Miss Reid writes some of the most wonderful sports MCs in MM romance. But this book resolved my only complaint with her two previous books, a delightful, well-written, non-player love interest.

Troy is a grump, horrible in social situations, and is made more cranky by his exchange to the Ottawa team and his recent break-up. Troy hates ice cream 🙀🙀or anything which is not Hockey. On the contrary, Harris loves everything and even small things fascinate him. He is funny, open, and a true sweetheart. Moreover, we get more detailed side characters this time. Lots of players and an excellent found family.  And, not to forget the team captain, Ilya Rozanov. 

Romance-
This book is a classic case of opposite attracts. Troy hated people and anything to do with them. He gets uncomfortable in most social situations. He is also struggling with self-loathing due to his past behaviour. And, he had a pretty bad family life. Whereas Harris loves everything, likes to have fun, and comes from a big happy family.
They were both curious about each other from the start, but the relationship development is perfectly paced and loaded with mutual pining and hottttttt. But, their journey together was not easy because Troy was closeted plus he was trying hard to redeem himself and be a better person(that's never easy!!).

Things I absolutely loved about this book-
👉The grumpy/sunshine trope was perfectly done.
👉Both the MCs are well developed, I loved the character development and redemption arc of Troy.
👉And, the goofy, always smiling, sunshine Harris. He is caring and a true sweetheart. Oh!!! I love him, he is the best non-player MC in this series.
👉 Besides, we get so much of new and much-improved version of Ilya(yes, I know, we didn't know there was even room for improvement.)🙊🙊Ilya with a 🐶, just imagine. Also, I feel some incidents in this book should/will coincide with Long game.

👉Plus for the first time, Rachel Reid attempted to bring an ugly side of Hockey bull fans. And, how the NHL/ super leagues handle the sensitive issues in the case of players.
👉 We get a lot of sports time. And, we get to see how a struggling team gains confidence under a great leader. 😸😸
👉  Harris's family was pretty awesome plus I love all the members of Centaurs Ottawa team. I also liked Coach Wiebe, I feel we are going to get more of him in the future.

Niggle-
This book is perfect and if I was not a  die-hard fan of 'Heated Rivalry', this must have been my favourite book in this series. My only issue is with the audiobook by Cooper North. He was not always good at switching voices for MCs. But otherwise, this is the best sports romance book I have read in a while.

This book can be read as a standalone but we have lots of appearances from MCs of the other books(hey!! It's NHL and Troy needed all the support he could get to come out ), so, you may enjoy it more if you have read the other books of the series. 
Recommended to every MM romance reader,  I feel this book has a broad appeal.❤

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite easily my second favorite of the series because Shane and Ilya will forever hold the #1 spot.
I loved EVERYTHING about this book.

1. The characters:
Grumpy assholish Troy who qas just afraid of coming out, heartbroken over his boyfriend breaking up with him and in need of a good hard cuddle. #CanYouSeeMe

Sweet sweet Harris who is just a ball of sunshine and rainbows. He talks too much, laughs too loud and is just a ray of hope and happiness. And a great cuddler... #HugItOut

2. The Plot:
Opposites attract, Grumpy/sunshine, Coming out, Found Family, discovering the real person behind the persona... all of these were here and they were a delight to read about. #YouComplementMe

3. The Romance:
Slowish burn, infatuation, friendship and attrraction. These guys warmed my heart with how their relationship progressed. #PerfectCombo

4. Steam-o-meter: Steamy! #HawtAF

5. Angst-o-meter: no relationship angst, mild angst from the outside. #FeelGood

6. The Ending: HFN and I suspect we will see glimpses of them in the coming books!

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I give up, I give in, I'm rereading my favourite from the Game Changers series because HR is my life now ✌️😁😍

And it was a great decision because I still love this one!


___
Very cute, very sweet, also kind of hot?! I love it 🩷

Even though I have a hard time finding good sports romances, I always come back to them, and sometimes I find one that works for me. And this one definitely did.
I liked the characters, the pacing was great which made it an easy read, and it also included some important discussions around sexual assault and rape culture in sports.

Great read!


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Hoping for a cute little romance 🩷

[Lau ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Troy’s not proud of what he has become while trying to hide who he really is. After discovering his (ex) boyfriend has been cheating on him and is going to marry the other guy and his (ex) best friend has been accused of sexual abuse, Troy’s being traded for calling him rapist. He’s now the new guy with the well-deserved bad reputation in the worst team in the league, the Ottawa team. The only good thing it’s that the team’s social media manager, Harris, is determined to give him a chance to not live up his reputation, welcoming him with his ever-present smile on his face.


Only that, of course, Troy can’t stop ogling the queer pins Harris proudly wears. He yearns to be confident like him, to be able to stop hiding and be himself, even if he can’t remember anymore who that person is. But, of course, Harris now thinks he’s homophobic and Troy doesn’t know how to explain Harris he got it all wrong. If only he could stop being afraid…



I was a bit skeptical when I started this because I didn’t enjoy the only book I’ve tried by the author, Heated Rivalry, which also happens to be her most beloved one. However, since a slow burn romance with a hero trying to become a better person is much more down my alley than a casual and long distance relationship, I decided it was worth a try. I’m so glad I was right.


Troy is a character I’ve never read before. Although I don’t like former bullies, I couldn’t help but fall for him because he was way too hard on himself. Since you are following his POV, it took me a moment to realize he wasn’t as bad as he thought he was. He remembered every single thing he did wrong. He felt like an asshole -as he should- for laughing with his (ex) best friend at a teammate who was afraid of flying, but he never once thought about the fact that he had believed the victims when nobody else did, even when the one they were accusing of rape was his (ex) best friend.


The constant bullying he suffered from the fans and other players for believing the ‘lies’ was horrible and he never once congratulated himself for doing the right thing. For him, it was not the right thing to do, it was the only possible action. In any case, he felt disgusted for not preventing it, for being the blind best friend of a rapist and letting him destroy women’s lives. That made me fell a bit for him. And I fell a bit more knowing that his dad was homophobic, his (ex) boyfriend had been cheating on him before breaking up with him, his best friend turned out being a rapist, his mom was never at home and he’s alone thinking how much he hates the person he has become. It broke my heart that he had to keep all the pain for himself, that people kept thinking he was being rude when he was just sad and hurt and lonely.


Troye player terribly that night. Obviously. It had taken all of his focus to keep himself from bursting into tears in the locker room, or on the bench. () He wasn’t known for his sunny disposition at the best of times, and his teammates didn’t know him anyway, so it was easier to hide his agony than it might have been otherwise.


But Troy doesn’t stop in the self-pity state, he decides he wants to change. With the help of his new teammates and Harris he will start to let himself be himself and it was a beautiful thing to witness. As for Harris, he was your typical sunshine boy with an easy smile who was able to see through Troy even when his words weren’t the right ones. After so many years wearing a shield made of rudeness and fake indifference, it was difficult for Troy not to bring it back every time he felt vulnerable, but he’d always come back and apologize for being a bit too sharp.


He had no one to hide behind anymore, and the mask was so full of cracks he may as well throw it out.


I loved the relationship between the two, how Harris’ POV was sunshine and Troy’s was cloudy and gray, how Harris loved talking and Troy was the quiet boy who loved listening, how much Troy wanted Harris but thought he deserved better. It felt real, unique and surprised me. I was sure Troy would be way worse, that he would keep hurting Harris because ‘he wasn’t good enough for him’, but the evolution of their feelings and how they saw each other was perfect.


“What was all that about?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been wanting to do it all night and-” Troy’s smile was wider and brighter than Harris had ever seen it, and his eyes shone with an excited energy. “I don’t do things I want to do very often. I like kissing you.” 💔


The only problem I had it’s a stupid one and my entire fault for reading too many of these books. When you are reading sports romance and the MCs decide to come out of the closet, the last 30% of the book is usually the same in all the books and I was bored. But that’s a stupid thing to critique because it’s the way it has to be if you don’t want the drama of other people outing them or having a HEA being inside the closet, which is way worse.


On a side note, I can’t believe I’m saying this but I may need to reread Heated Rivalry. I loved Ilya in this book and my heart kinda screamed with every mention of him and Shane. My main problem with their romance is that there is no book that started with a casual sex scene has managed to win me over. I’m already not into the whole one-night-stand to lovers but, if I don’t actually get to experience in chapter 1 how they started as one-night-stand, it’s very difficult for me to care about the characters. But since I’m already half in love with Ilya, I think this time I may be able to not freak out with how the story begins and finally appreciate the hype (wish me luck!!🙂)


Maybe he should ask Ilya for Shane Hollander’s number. Shane was a fucking babe.
The thought made Troy smile, and that was at least something. Yeah, good luck with that babe



“Can you keep a secret?”
Ilya’s lips curved into a wry smile. “Yes, very well.” Oh, come on…


↬ Game Changers series:
2. Heated Rivalry: 2.5 stars
5. Role Model: 3.5 stars
6. The Long Game: 4 stars

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I'm not sure if the main take away from this book was to end up even more charmed by Ilya Rozanovs bullshit than I already was? considering it's not even his book lol.

I can see why this was a favourite of a lot of people's in this series. I found Troy to be a really interesting character and his character development around feeling safe and supported enough to come out, and his developing understanding of his relationship with toxic authoritative men because of his father made for interesting reading.

I enjoyed the relationship chemistry Troy had with Harris when they were getting to know one another but I have to admit their actual relationship fell a little flat for me and I found the first half of the book to be stronger overall. I think I found some elements of Harris' personality inconsistent and trying to get a grasp on him was a bit like grabbing smoke so it was hard to get too deeply involved when little comments would throw me.

I also think that this has a bit to do with Reid not really being my kind of romance writer? Like I'm having a fun time with these books, but but it's mostly cause I'm enjoying the characters and her sexual chemistry tends to fall a bit flat for me and they border on a little too twee for my tastes (I had to skip through some of the spa scene cause I was getting bored).

Similar to when I read HR, there is shockingly little hockey in this book lol at least I knew that going in but it does make me wonder why RR writes so many hockey romances but then doesn't really include much of the sport? lol.

One of the little mental itches I couldn't escape though, is that throughout all of the posts Troy made supporting SA survivors, his coming out and pissing off the big bosses NOT A SINGLE PR PERSON, AGENT OR PLAYER MANAGER MADE A PEEP. I absolutely cannot imagine a world where an athlete worth multi millions of dollars is just free balling his social media and controversy? Lol. Also zero confirmation on if he had his contract extended? Like as far as I remember he was on the team till the end of the season but did he negotiate an extension? You assume so but no actual clue.

Anyway, an easily bingeable and a bit of simple brain off fun. Glad Jessica recommended the switch to the audiobook for the later ones. The number of people who sound like they had their time with HR ruined by the poor performanced a bummer but Cooper North does a pretty good job here (although his voice for Harris was one of the things that confused me when compared to his description and character).

Yes I'll read The Long Game. Hahahah there was enough scenes here I want to see the other side of that I can't resist lol.

[moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars ☆

i adored Troy and Harris sm, as individuals and as a couple. 🥺 my heart hurt for Troy bc of what he had to deal with for doing the right thing about calling out his ex-best friend for being a rapist but he’s the one who gets hated on?? unfortunately, i know it’s pretty common irl for lots of fans to side with their idol, even when they had done or said fucked up things, but i’m glad Troy wasn’t caught up with the fame to be ignorant about it. seeing Troy’s growth was one of my favorite parts of this story and i loved how Harris brought him out of his shell. THESE TWO WERE ADORABLE, i was smiling throughout the book but also crying bc god when 😭 ILYA MY BB, i loved seeing him in this and, even tho Shane only had one cameo, my heart was literally like 💗💘💞💓 when they both appeared together. i’m so fucking excited for their second book, y’all have no idea. 😩 ALSO PLS, the way the whole team was literally whipped by the puppy? so cute!!

honestly, my only complaint was the way Troy kept thinking about Adrian in certain moments. i know he was in love so you can’t really shut that off easily and i wouldn’t have minded it in the beginning but when it was 64% in, him and Harris were having sex and he thought about how the ldr he had with Adrian was why he never had that much sex while they were still in a relationship just puts me off 😭 i still loved Troy and Harris’ romance tho and the way it developed, it’s just that one thing i was meh about.

just a few Troy x Harris moments that had me crying with laughter:
↠ “I’ve been a Yoshi man since I was, like, six years old.”
“He’s my second choice,” Troy conceded.
“We’re basically the same person!”
“Twins,” Troy agreed flatly.

↠ “You know what would cool your mouth down?” Harris asked, making the snowman ball dance around in the air. “A peppermint cake pop.”
“No it wouldn’t. And stop making it be, like, alive.”
Harris turned the snowman so he was looking it straight in the eyes. “I’m naming him Gordon.”
“Fuck off. Just eat it.”

↠ “Oh yeah. I’ll introduce you to Theo sometime. He’s great.”
“Theo?”
“The guy in the suit.” Harris narrowed his eyes playfully. “You do know there’s someone in that suit, right?”
“Shut up.”

↠ Harris laughed. “Mr. Neck-Neck was with me through thick and thin. He’s true blue.”
“I’m sorry he had to witness what we did last night. Um. On top of him.” Troy propped himself up on an elbow and grinned. “Was that a threesome, technically?”

brb while im off to reread HR bc i miss Shane and Ilya so much 🥰

[Rosabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the cutest of them all!! And it had Ilya featuring my pants on fire and Shane. 🔥🥵❤

I wasn't expecting what Rachel gave us in this installment, the other books have been full of angst and I feel this one did too, but Harris was such a marshmallow that it minimized the effect at the end. I loved him, how he treated life after a bad disease, how he took every moment and how he loved people and life, he was inspiring, sometimes too perfect, and as the book says: compact. WE NEEDED A COMPACT CHARACTER IN DA HOUSE!! 👐🏻👐🏻

Troy, high school musical is that you? Was also a surprisingly good character, what I loved from him is that as I reader I got to see him grow and that was beautifully done. And he was really brave at the end, I loved how his coming out got described, it was realistic to me, steps by steps and with each step he got braver. Loved to see it! 🥰🥰

My issues with this one were two:
- The plane thing, as my friend Marian says it did came out of nowhere, but my problem is that we got not content warning. Being afraid to fly is a thing and it can trigger someone, specially when you are describing a bad experience like an almost crash. It needed to be warned.
- There was a line in the story that felt unnecessary, spoilers ahead, Troy slept with Harris and the next day they talked and decided to be friends (wich wasn't clear to me at the time but it was mentioned later), then he wins a game and fucks him again and now they are boyfriends. This all happened over a week? That back and forth felt weird to me, but it was a small thing. 🤭🤭

It was a really lovely book, second best without a doubt. Besides...

"There was something very unsettling about an anxious Ilya Rozanov".

Yep, there is. Can't wait for that one though. 🤭🤭❤

[꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ brandon sklenar’s baby (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ]

DNF @ 75%

harris is too good for my taste. i don't like it. also, the fact that i didn't swoon is the biggest downside for me. i loved troy as he struggled to be his better self but harris being this good and wholesome through and through is just not for my cup of tea. i found him adorable at first but wasn't gripped by his character as a whole. i want some growth, layers, and nuances when it comes to my characters. lastly, i feel like a lot happened but at the same time nothing really much happened. if i swooned, i'm definitely sing a different tune. be it known that this rant is based only up to 75% of the book. maybe something after that? maybe. but i wish i cared. thank you next! happy others loved this though!

[Corina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I love a good sunshine and grump pairing and felt that Troy and Harris were adorable together, and just the right amount of opposite to make their attraction plausible and sweet.

I don't think it's fair to compare or even measure every book in this series with my all time favorite Heated Rivalry, But unconsciously I do compare them, and nothing can measure up, it's just not possible. BUT books like Role Model stand on their own feet, as solid additions, easy reads, and wonderful MM romances that should be on anyone's tbr.

It had everything I enjoy about this genre, a solid romance, with a couple that had real chemistry, Great supporting characters, with witty and smart dialogues. And the sport was actually part of the story. I'm always so disappointed when sports romances have nothing to do with sport.

And I actually loved what the author did with Troy's story, especially considering where he came from. Also I genuinely liked him from the very first page, and I loved it even more that he didn't 'slip up' once the entire book.

Bonus points went to the many scenes with Ilya, since he was the captain of Troy's new team, and my anticipation for the next book went even higher.


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I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.

[Wendys Wycked Words · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it... Almost as good as Ilya and Shane's book... Almost ..